protect your family... and launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. . are plans on hold for president obama? it's thursday, august 29th, and this is now. i'm karen finney in for alex wagner. eight days after a chemical attack killed hundreds of innocent civilians and left thousands injured, the u.s. and international community are still awaiting their response. the u.n. security council failed to reach an agreed yesterday on a draft resolution that would authorize military action in sear yarks but tyri syria. yesterday president obama said he had not yet made a decision about whether on-to-conduct a

military strike in sear yarks but he did make the case for limited strikes and said the u.s. had concluded that the syrian government was in fact responsible for the attacks. the president also made clear that the syrian government would face consequences. >> i think it's important that if in fact we make a choice to have repercussions per the use of chemical weapons, then the assad regime involved in a civil war trying to protect itself will have received a pretty strong signal that in fact it better not do it again. >> although defense secretary chuck hagel has said the u.s. military is ready for action. last night hagel told reporters that if any action would be taken against syria, it would be an international collaboration. the white house has said it will release an intelligence report proving assad was responsible for last week's chemical attack.

the center for international studies said it would be the most important single document in a decade since the botched intelligence about iraq's weapons program was released in 2003. but as the white house considers launching military strikes, some are calling for congressional approval. 116 members of the house from both sides of the aisle have signed a letter saying president obama needs approval from fr congress to attack. and john boehner september a letter to the president seeking answers to 14 questions regarding u.s. military intervention. while the speaker doesn't call for a vote, he urges president obama to, quote, make the case to the american people and congress for how potential military action will secure american national security interests, reserve america's credibility, deter the future use of chemical weapons and be a part of our broader policy and

strategy. senior obama administration officials are expected to brief members of congress on the situation sometime today. although it's still unclear whether the obama administration will allow a vote to take place before any military strikes. it's worth noting that in 2007 when then senator barack obama was asked when presidents had the authority to launch a military strike without congressional approval, he said, quote, the president does not have power under the constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation. joining me today, special correspondent for the daily beast and also editor of democracy, a journal of ideas, and steve clemens, anchor of bbc world news america, and time senior correspondent michael crowley whose cover story is the unhappy warrior. also joining us is nbc news chief pentagon correspondent jim

miklaszewski. jim, i want to talk with you. the efforts seem to be stalled at this point based on what we're hearing coming out of the uk. what do we expect will go from there? >> well, at this point u.s. military officials say despite all the diplomatic hang-ups at the u.n. with the british parly him and also the political wrangling here at home, all systems are still go to launch apattack that could come at any time. now, we're not told the specific time, but it's obvious at this point that there could be if the president gives the order, and he hasn't done that yet according to people we're talking to, once the president gives the order, all the weapons are in place, many of the missiles are already loaded with target coordinates. and so once the president says it's a go, it could take only a matter of minutes actually to start launching many of those missiles. and it's believed that it could

come sometime between now and the end of labor day because once the president takes off for the g-20 summit in russia on tuesday, once the president's in the air and traveling, the u.s. military's not going to be inengaging in those kinds of military activities while he's out of the country. >> you know, i want to bring the passenger in here. part of what we saw was a shocker yesterday with regard to david camp ro cameron to pull b and ban ki-moon saying investigators will be there likely through sunday.camp came and ban ki-moon saying investigators will be there likely through sunday.amp camer and ban ki-moon saying investigators will be there likely through sunday.p cameron ban ki-moon saying investigators will be there likely through sunday. cameron to pull back an ban ki-moon saying investigators will be there likely through sunday. so looking in to next week. >> there is a standard of proof that has to be met. i think the quote that you used in the intro from this morning's "times," i think that's heavy handed. barack obama is not talking about sending 130,000 troops on the ground. but we do need to see shall

proof that it was the regime. i think the problem is going to be there is not 100% iron clad proof. there are going to be circumstantial bits of information like the kinds of launchers that were used and so on that will suggest that it was. >> this has the shades of iraq and shades of george wush and recognizing i think the president recognizes that balance between wanting to talk to the american people about what's going on, but yet not necessarily want to go have to do with congress if you can avoid it and using the u.n. and their reports on intelligence. >> i think it's a very different shade of gray, if you will, than the bush administration. i think michael crowley's cover stou cover story got it exactly right. during the bush administration, they wanted to go to war. all evidence to the side. they were so animated about

wanting to go to war, nothing would stop them. is this a president who does not want to be involved in syria, who does not want to accepted tho send those ships. and frankly, i was a big critic on how pathetic and disorganized the obama administration's response after their first declaration of chemical weapons a while back in which there was not the kind of signals intelligence that i think we clearly have on hand today. the president feels this collapsing norm needs a response and that has been characterist characteristic. >> and this has been the conundrum for this president from the beginning. when the campaign, i thought when are you on the outside and you don't have the intelligence, it's easy to say. but once you own it, it's different in terms of nature of the intelligence, what your thinks ons are.

and so in your piece, you make the point this has been a tension point for president obama throughout his administration. and now there is this i would say we're at a push point where he really does have to take some action. >> and it's a story that keeps coming up with this administration. think of the amount of time we talk about surveillance and expanding presidential authorities to kill people with drone strikes. in the campaign the president was critical of surveillance policies of the bush administration saying bush was assuming too much executive power. so he saw this when he got into office how scary the terrorist threat was. and with iran where he talked about maybe we can have more of a dialogue with iran and pretty soon after he took office and even as a candidate, no, i'm willing to use force. so the world looks different when you are responsible for the national security of the country and there are real lives at establishing. but ste stake. but the irony is incredible. the whole debate is contaminated by the legacy of iraq.but the i.

the whole debate is contaminated by the legacy of iraq.stake. but the irony is incredible. the whole debate is contaminated by the legacy of iraand there a. stake. but the irony is incredible. the whole debate is contaminated by the legacy of iraq. he's having trouble following through because of the iraq war and all the old debates are rolling back out again. >> and certainly i think the president has got to be cognizant of the fact that how much you do or don't engage congress will also determine how much he actually owns whatever the outcome is. and i feel like that's a lot of what we're hearing, shades of that in the conversation going on in the uk. and i want to play sound from cameron earlier today making the comparison to iraq. take a listen and talk about it. >> this is not like iraq. what we are seeing in syria is fundamentally different. the fact that the syrian government has and has used chemical weapons is beyond doubt. one thing is indisputable, the well of public opinion was poisoned by the iraq episode and we need to understand the

public -- >> there again, the ghost of the iraq decision. david cameron obviously this has put a big monkey wrench into what seemed like we were moving full steam ahead yesterday. >> and david cameron of course cognizant of the fact that the decision to go to war in iraq without public approval in britt tip cost him his job eventually. and isolated him within the labor party. talk about the world being more complicated than you think. suddenly last night in washington we had president obama hitting up against british domestic politics which have effectively put a brake on any british support for military action. we had the debate today. the case david cameron seems to be making is this is a judgment call on the intelligence. he said there is no silver bull receipt here in the intelligence. no single piece of evidence that is can he have definite idefini prove it was the assad regime. on the other hand, british

intelligence is documenting what they say are 14 different instances of chemical attacks. s mo the most legitimate question, if we do not strike, is the likelihood greater that syria or other regimes will use chemical weapons in the future. >> and as all of this is going on, trying to think about what the assad regime calculations are, because they know that the united states and the uk will be the two major forces to move forward, but they also know president obama has 60% of americans don't want him to take action. and you've also just what we saw happening unfolding last night in the uk, so he also knows that he's dealing with two leaders who have their own domestic issues to deal with that will impact what they're able to do and how fast they will or won't proceed. >> assad has a vicious civil war going on in his country on top of which you have a proxy conflict of great powers and

regional powers tugging and pulling, on top of which in his command staff you're very likely to have factions. i used today the example of curtis lemay in the time offize pour advocating a nuclear bombing strategy that was very different. we don't know yet what happened on the internal side, but it's very possible and plausible that assad himself did not call for those, but a significant faction feeling as if the amount of chemical weapons they have should be used to save the state. it's ve it's very plausible to imagine. that's why this is so scary. so when you look at -- he has a lot of parts of this to manage. not just the united states. my sense is that the white house has decided that russia and the united nations perhaps unintentionally are trying to play the role of delay and to delay and delay into the g-20 meeting so that you can further

delay which is why the white house has said we're not going to be held back by either bri british politics or the u.n.. they hope others come along, but they won't be bound by that. which tells me the clock is still ticking. >> and we all saw very shocking images last week that most of us would agree should -- that looked like a red line to most of us. so the farther we delay, the more it seems what are the consequences going to be. jim miklaszewski, thank you so much. >> you bet. thank you. >> and thank you to steve clemens. after the break, while president obama commemorates the 50th anniversary of dr. king's dream with a call to address the unfinished business of civil rights, some conservatives show why the movement must continue. [ dog ] we found it together.

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their victory was great. but we would dishonor those heros, as well, to suggest that the work of this nation is somehow complete. the arc of moral universe may bend towards justice, but it doesn't bend on its own. >> that was president obama speaking in the same spot where dr. martin luther king jr. delivered his "i have a dream" speech 50 years ago. his message was to mark the progress our country has made and hop or those who fought for it, but also to look forward to the next chapter in civil rights. as president obama looked

forward, some right ward flank used the anniversary as an opportunity to return to the wor worst parts, stereotypes and ignorance. case in point joe walsh. >> i have a dream. i got a dream that young black males don't become daddies until after they're married and until after they have a job. how about that? i have a dream that blacks cease their dependency on government which has enslaved them to a life of poverty. >> now just to be clear, the man who was sued for more than $100,000 in overdue child support feels entitled to tell us a little bit about parenting advice. but to his other musing, he wasn't the only one chapeling the welfare queen view of america. >> president obama and many in the civil rights industry believe that government must provide, provide, for those who fail. even if it's their own fault

they fail. the left wants pa stern alism. cradle the grave protections. and if you oppose that philosophy, there is something wrong with you. and in some cases they will accuse you of bigotry. >> now, these comments expose a fundamental lack of understanding about how this country works for some and not for others. it's a view that disregards the fact that not everyone has the same opportunity to make choices. while public segregation has ceased, the battle against economic seg agree xwags is very much at hand. 100,000 people stream order to the national mall to commemorate what the civil rights heros accomplished. but it was also about participating and continuing the current fight as crusaders of justice for the next 50 years. coming up, president obama helps at the stage for the next phase of the fate when earlier this year he called for raising the minimum wage. and today, fast food workers are answering the call. protesting low wages? n. dozens of cities across the country. we'll talk with some behind the

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the men and women who gathered 50 years ago were not there in search of some abstract idea. they were there seeking jobs as well as justice. not just the absence of oppression, but the presence of economic opportunity. >> 50 years after the march on washington, the fight for civil and economic rights marches on. today in 60 cities across the country, fast food and retail workers will stage a one day strike demanding higher wages and the right to form a union without retaliation. many workers at mcdon't alds, burger kings and wendy's make the federal minute wum, $7.25 an hour, which adds up to just

$15,000 a year on a 40 hour workweek. but few actually get assigned that much work as one worker told the associated press, quote, 40? never. they refuse to let you get that many hours. 50 years ago marchers also had a similar demand because the march was not just about an end to segregation, but also a rally for economic opportunity. one of the demands was to raise the minimum wage, then $1.15 to $2 an hour, over $13 by today's terms. joining us now from boston is burger king cashier kyle king who is protesting today. and joining us on set a analyst for the national employment law project jack temple. thanks to you both for joining us. i want to start with you, jack, in terms of the broader economic picture here. because we know that many of the economic gains that we've seen have been low wage jobs with not as many benefits, not as many

opportunities to work 40 hours a week. >> exactly. today workers' backs are up against the wall and i think what you're seeing with workers like kyle and the thousands of workers across the country that are going on strike today is that sadly they almost have nothing left to lose. the fast food industry is ground zero for america's low wage economy today. the median wage is less than $9 an hour. there are almost nonexistent opportunities for advancement in the fast food industry. maki manage geial positions make up t 2%. >> if take you a look at what's happening, wages have been flat for that bottom 60%, but they are actually -- they have -- productivity has increased. so they are making money. if you look at the profits, they are making the money, but that money is not going back into workers' wages. >> exactly. the federal minimum wage and

state level haven't kept up with the cost of living and workers in the service sector generally don't have collective bargaining power. it was unionized jobs that built the middle class. and over the last 30 years, we've seen the rise of fast food, the restaurant industry and retail, this is just as much of a problem and they don't have the bargaining power to command access to the profits. >> i want to bring kyle in here. kyle, tell us about the protest you're participating in today in boston. >> i'm participating in a wide scale movement to get employees the wages that they deserve because for far too long, we're barely scraping by. and it's really tough in this economy. because things just keep going up. the cost of living just keeps going up. and it's unfair. and it's not like the franchises or the people behind the

organizations don't see it. they do see it, but they just turn a deaf ear to it. >> how long have you been working at burger king? >> the current location i've been are working at now, nine years. >> that's a long time. >> that's a long time. >> and what got you to the point where you decided you were going to participate and make your voice heard in this way? >> i'd have to say it's the support, the support and the backing from the organization. it's a chance to have our voice heard, have my voice heard. and to let the organizations know, the people behind the organizations, let them know that we're speaking out against this. this is not just something where it affects a few people. it affect as lot of people. so this is the reason whydy it because of the backing and support. >> you know, michael, i want to bring our panel in here, so it's worth noting that the minimum wage the last time it was increased was 2007 to $7.25 an hour under president bush.

and yet republicans have been pretty clear in their obstruction against any ideas like that coming from president obama. >> obama's proposal, which is nice as far as it goes, $9.25 i think it is, still doesn't do much of anything at all. if the minimum wage had kept pace with productivity gains in the american workplace in the last 30 or 40 years, it would be $20 an hour today. if it had even kept pace merely with inflation, it would be close to $11 an hour today. so that's a big difference. i can't do math that fast to see how that compares to $15,000 a year, but it compares obviously favorably and would pick a big difference in lives like kyle's and many other people's. of course it's never going to happen as long as we have this republican party. >> and talking about those numbers, those numbers are even worse when we're talking about women who as we now know we are seeing more women head of household, who are the sole breadwinners for their household when they have children. so this is really a family issue

i think, not just an economic issue. >> and the fast food industry actually employs more women than any other industries. so you've got a disproportionately high number of women who many of them who will be single moms, head of households, and who are struggling with those kind of wages. and i think the other misnomer about this is that the fast food industry says a lot of these people are teenager, kids who don't have that much experience and that's why they're paid such low wages. actually increasingly we're seeing them like kyle, clearly not -- i don't want to cast aspersions, but clearly not a teen. >> we won't ask your age i promise. >> these are adults. >> supporting children. >> exactly. >> that's one of the arguments we hear time and time again from the lobbying industry, the other nra, if you will, that suggests we're talking about teenagers. thfd we are talking about people like the median age is 28 and up and there are people who are

trying to support families on this little money. >> sure. well, this country is still not recovered from total economic catastrophe. and it's transformed lives for middle class families and lower income families. and we still haven't dug out of it. and i think at the same time you continue to see this astounding wealth at the top of society. and i was thinking as michael was talking about what the minimum wage would be had it kept up with our general economic trends, you think about how wealth at the very top has exploded, right? so you have one line that's going like this and another line that's going parabolic. and i think that contributes to a real sense of frustration understandably for people like kyle and just people throughout the country. >> companies are still saying we can't afford it, we can't afford -- whether it means 40 crept centing more for a big mac. >> the story of the american

economy and it is recover i in terms of job numbers compared to most western economies. but the story behind that is that it's coming down, but jobs are paying less. so the people particularly at the bottom he said of tend of t earning less than a decade ago and that's a tough situation for the country. is that a long term trend where you have people getting back into the employment situation but the money that they're earning is not enough to live on. >> clearly we need more people like kyle out there willing to make their choices heard because that's the only way we'll put any political pressure on the folks here in washington. kyle, thank you and good luck today. >> thank you very much. thank you for having me. >> also thanks to you, jack. and thank you to the nation -- no. after the break, secretary of explaining stuff bill clinton wows the crowd at the 509 anniversary at the march on

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we cannot be discouraged by a supreme court decision that said we don't need this provision. but a great democracy does not make it harder to vote than to buy an assault weapon. >> the explainer in chief is back. former president bill clinton gave a passionate defense of progressive priorities on the national mall yesterday. his advice, show up in force. >> i would respectfully suggest that martin luther king did not live and die to hear his heirs whine about political gridlock. it is time to stop complaining an put our shoulders against the stubborn gates holding the american people back.

>> now, how does president clinton plan to lean against those stubborn gates? it will begin next week when he deliver as speech in arkansas rallying the country around the dream of affordable health care for all. coming up, for women across the country, monday was equality day. but for many republicans, it was just another day to restrict choice and limit access to health services. we'll discuss the growing fight over women's reproductive rights when ilyse hogue joins us next. we're here at the university of colorado with master griller and pro-tailgater, matt connor who's secretly serving steaks from walmart. it's a steak over! dude, it's so good. it's juicy. it's nice and tender. only one in five steaks is good enough to be called walmart choice premium steak. all these steaks are from walmart. oh my gosh! top ten most tender steaks i've had. i'm going to start buying meat at walmart. walmart's prices are so low you could have steak at every game. it's 100% satisfaction guaranteed. try it.

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a woman's right to choose. the past three years, legislatures have seen a record number of restrictions on abortions. and over the same time period, at least 54 abortion providers across 27 states have been forced to shut down or end their abortion services. joining us now is the president of pro-choice america ilyse hogue. and full disclosure, i serve on the board. but thank you so much for joining us. one of the things that struck me in looking at those numbers and that map is we've been talking a lot about organize and mobile liding and sort of women's rights. and in the context of the march on washington, we're really talking about women's freedom and the ability to make your own choices over a legal procedure. >> absolutely. one of the things that people

forget is at the time of seneca falls when all of the heros and sheroes were out there fighting for the women's right to vote, abortion was actual legal. contraception and family planning was very much a part of the women's equality agenda and winning the right it vote was seen as a step down that path. who they could not have predicted that we would now be at the ground zero medical procedure that is rolling back all of the rights that they fought so hard for. and it's really a disgrace to their memory, it's a disgrace to the values that they fought for and it's up to us to carry on that fight. >> it's also an economic issue. we have a map of the distance that people have to travel to clinics, particularly low income women are going to be more disadvantaged because they will have to take off work to try to get to where they're going if

they have a car, if they don't have a car. we're talking about a 15 mile median distance. and so rural women in particular. so again it not only hurts women, but it hurts poor where i am the most. >> and that's been the story of the history of abortion for decades i imagine. but you that it has always been an economic issue. if you were a wealthy woman who got pregnant with a pregnancy that she wanted to terminate, could you find yourself access to an abortion. that was not the case if you were poor. it was much harder and always has been and it's become increasingly so with the number of clinics being closed. but i wanted to ask about the numbers. are those numbers reflective of states that are clamping down on access to abortion or is there something else going on with some of the clinicclinics, as w? >> we're seeing more states look at legislation and pass legislation that would restrict abortion. i think this islinic closures.

in texas, it's not the result of the most recent legislation that got so much attention. this is the result of regulations and family planning cuts that came in 2010, 2011. but i think that important point as well to what you're both saying is look at who is behind the legislation that's creating the clinic closures. these are the exact same ledges lay sures that vote against equal pay, that vote against the kind of help for women who choose to carry their pregnancies to term. in california, we're seeing a real push towards expansion of services, the people opposing that are the same people opposing added assistance for low income women who choose to have more children? so you're damned if you do and damned if you don't according to these men. >> and the other argument that we've heard is the gosnell case. you heard some suggesting that that is what happens because of

access to abortion care. and many of us in the pro-choice movement believe that's what's going to happen if we don't have access to quality care particularly when you heard those horror stories of low income women who i think most people don't realize don't have other health care options. they don't have other places to go earlier in their pregnancies. >> exactly. if it's legal, it's safe. it's an old adage and it's true. and that's the way to keep it safe is to keep it legal. and if roe w. wade was overturned -- >> you're right, it would impact even more women across the board. >> and the other thing that we're seeing is in the myriad of the different types of laws, no exceptions for rape. and what a lot of people don't realize is that prior to

obamacare, rape was a pre-existing condition actually. so is actually pregnancy. so we're seeing again squeezing women, taking away their rights, and essentially if a woman is raped, forcing her to then have to have that baby and having no real rights of her own body. >> right. and there is a kind of larger political frame to this. the point you make goes right to it which is that the american public is somewhere in a gray middle on abortion when you look at the polling and different questions at different answers. but we're kind of in a gray middle area. there is not a clear consensus. there is division. but for the republican party, the idea when it comes to this issue where there are a lot of americans inned middle who say i'm not comfortable with late term an boarses, i don't think it should be unrestricted, but when you start talking about what you were raped, you have to have the baby, you have people

like the candidates in the last cycle, it's devastating for the republican party. it's a real fundamental dynamic and self defeating for people who want are more moderate abortion regulations who say we don't want it to be unlimited, we want to do something things, but that you have this very conservative faction on these issues, we strong and vocal. and it's doing at love damave l damage to the party. >> here's what i don't understand about some members of the republican party.to the par. >> here's what i don't understand about some members of the republican party. looking at the fact that increasing number of suburban women will be the people who decide elections, but is there concern about the legislation and what's happening with clinics and access to family planning and access to abortions where it's legal or is there concern about the kind of language that's being used by some members of the party?

>> i think a lot of it -- the tone and tenor of the conversation, particularly last year when you heard in state legislatures people saying things like women would use if we made a rape exception, they would use it as a loophole. just talking about a woman, a human being in that way, i think that's part what have they m miscalculated. and the final question i wanted to ask is i think part of what we're seeing is again this tied if for women as part of fundamental freedom, fundamental human rights in terms of how we're viewed as equal participants in this society. >> absolutely. and one other thing that the polling does clearly show is that most americans regardless of their moral stance believe that when forced to choose between lens late tore lemg lee doctors making the decision, they choose the latter. because most americans trust us

to go to our partners and doctors and make the best decision for us. why didn't the republican party trust us. >> there you go. very fine question. thanks, ilyse hogue. breaking news right now. the nfl and more than 4500 former players are now seeking a settlement on concussion related lawsuits. according to a federal judge, the players had filed hundreds sufts claiming the league misled them about the risks. the judge announced a poe he poe settlement of $765 million. after the break, concerns about the crisis in syria spread across the middle east as new threats come from iran and hezbollah. we'll get the latest live from lebanon.

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the threat of the u.s. military strike in syria is having a ripple effect. according to the associated press, iran and russia plan to

work incorporation to prevent u.s. military action in syria. in israel, citizens are stocking up on gas masks to prepare for a potential retaliatory attack. in lebanon, the potential strike has exacerbated an already dire refugee crisis. over 700,000 syrian refugees are registered including 13,000 new ones in just the past day. joining us from beirut is our foreign correspondent. thanks so much for joining us. give us a sense of what's happening there on the ground with the refugees and sort of with regard to folks in lebanon and concerns about getting dragged into the middle of a civil war. >> well, it's certainly very high on the minds of people here in lebanon. they have used through years of war and they are concerned it could happen again. there is a lot of convergence of this area of conflict. you mentioned thousands of

refugees pouring across the border here. a lot of them afraid of what is going to happen in terms of strikes. syria's closest ally is hezbollah. they have fought wars against israel in the past and some of the rhetoric has suggested that they would come to the aid of the syrian regime if it felt it was embattled. so there is the concern as you mentioned in israel that this strike on syria could cause a con anybody race of violence across the region. and a syrian commander has said any war against syria would be the second vietnam for the american military. would lead to war that would end the state of israel, also jordan has come out saying it would not allow any of its territory to be used by the international coaliti coalition. so mostly felt in lebanon. syria was once a strong

controller of southern lebanon and so there is that growing concern that if something happens in syria, not only is it going to create a humanitarian crisis for the government, but it could very much drag lebanon into that direct confrontation with some of the allies of the syrian regime. >> this goes to the point that steve clemens was making in terms of the proxy war and the various factions. what kind of retaliation do you think we would see against israel should they get involved? >> you mean if the u.s. launches some kind of a strike. in ht best cathe best case scen you have a limited short strike against assad that makes it difficult or impossible for him and there is no retaliation. what i'm hearing from a surprisingly large number of military officials is that they are very concerned about what they're saying is once you've pulled the trigger, you don't know what happens next and they are concerned there could be

some kind of retaliation and you're seeing that nervousness already in israel. people are already going to the government demanding their gas mask, they are concerned that if there is a strike against syria, syria will hit back against israel which of course is right next door. it's a broader concern for israel if assad goes, then what happens on his borders and the chaos that could ensue beyond this particular week and strike. >> to that point, we're hearing, so far we're talking strikes, but that's an important question. what does happen the next day after we have strikes? how can we be sure that assad, that will bring him in line? we may be looking at regime change at some point. >> we can't be sure and this is the most frightening to me question about this whole thing. can the united states undertake a limited incursion and then when it maybe doesn't achieve all its objectives, can we then say no further. we're not going any further.

>> we shall see. thank you to michael, kaatty and michael. alex wagner returns tomorrow at noon and she'll be joined by sam stein, annie lowry and douglas morton. and you can catch alex tonight when she guest hosts the last word at 10:00 p.m. eastern. and you can catch me again on saturday and every weekend on disrupt at 4:00 p.m. eastern right here on msnbc. andrea mitchell reports is coming up next. begins with knee pain, when... [ man ] hey, brad, want to trade the all-day relief of two aleve for six tylenol? what's the catch? there's no catch. you want me to give up my two aleve for six tylenol? no. for my knee pain, nothing beats my aleve. no. nascar is ab.out excitement but tracking all the action and hearing everything from our marketing partners, the media and millions of fans on social media can be a challenge. that's why we partnered with hp to build the new nascar

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>> i have no interest in open-ended conflict, but we do have to make sure that when countries break international norms that could threaten us, that they are held accountable. >> u.n. secretary general has asked them to wait before they report back to findings. and british are hitting the brakes forcing david cameron to push back on vote on military action at least a week. >> the well of public opinion was truly poisoned by the iraq episode and we need to understand the public's nepotism. >> and road blocks on the hill. tonight secretary of state kerry, hagel and others briefing congress on an unclassified call which senators from both parties say is not good enough. >> there are circumstances where presidents to avoid a